So there we have it. Phish ended the first part of their summer tour down South with two very special nights in Raleigh on 6/18 and Portsmouth on 6/19. As the last two shows before Super Ball IX, phans I spoke to seemed on edge about how these shows turned out. If these shows are going to set the tone for Super Ball and the rest of the summer, I think we're in for a real treat.
Raleigh 6/18 opened with a bang a of rare ones, Car Trucks Buses and Peaches in Regalia, but fizzled a little bit towards the end with some of the more popular repeats this tour. Though the versions were on point more or less, especially AC/DC Bag , there were some noticeable flubs. But the band got right back into it after set break, opening with Twist, busting out Esther, and playing some great versions of classics. The spacey jam in Split Open and Melt is well worth a listen. Also brought back after 298 shows, an interesting rendition of Jane's Addiction "Been Caught Stealing."
If the openers spoke volumes about the Raleigh show, then the openers at Portsmouth will blow your eardrums. Phish opened with Harpua after Trey spotted a Harpua sign in honor of someone's 31st birthday, and the band member's fathers helped them out with the story after a barely present narration from Trey. The fathers stayed on the stage for Phish's 3rd annual Father's Day rendition of Brother, joined by the rest of member's families. As always, an enjoyable tribute to Phishy and not so Phishy fathers everywhere. The rest of the first seemed to feed off of the father's energy with well played versions of Down with Disease and a perfectly placed Alaska, and other standards. The highlight of the first set, however, was Thunder Road, a tribute to recently deceased member of the E Street Band, Clarence Clemons.
The second set had a funky energy that stayed put throughout. The set began with Crosseyed and Painless, not as a good of a version as Merriweather but still better than earlier versions this tour. Then continued on with a personal favorite rare one- Walls of the Cave, and while the setlist continued on with less rare songs like Slave to the Traffic Light, Fluffhead, and the omnipresent Backwards Down the Number Line, they were some of the strongest examples of these songs this summer. Sand stuck out as true gem, complete with a start-stop jam.
Looking forward to Super Ball IX- we're in for a treat.
As for the lot bites of the South, I've had reports of many different kinds of gumbo on the lot on top of the standard veggie burrito fare. So curious about this, as pretty much everywhere you go down South they have a million different recipes for gumbo depending on season and locale. If you were on the lots down South and sampled some gumbo, please tell me all about it.
Going to a whole bunch of shows this week and next before Super Ball, so be sure to come back and visit. I'll let you know what shows I'll be at on the twitter. Also, I've been asked by a lot of people about my gym playlist and what's in season. Those posts will be coming soon.
Go see live music already!
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